One of the lovely things about being on a cruise is that after a hot day sightseeing you can come back on board, kick off your shoes, put on your sarong and enjoy a long cool cocktail as the ship leaves yet another beautiful destination.
There’s no driving to worry about, no taxis to pay, no worrying at all about how you’re going to get home – you’re on a floating resort heading off into the blue yonder towards the next exotic port.
Every now and then we’ve indulged in a delicious cocktail as we’ve cheers’ed another country goodbye, and we’ll be disembarking Sea Princess with a couple of firm favourites.
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The Cocktail Barmen
The barmen who’ve served us have always been friendly and helpful, and we’ve enjoyed chatting with them at various times over the three months we’ve been on board.
Moses is the barman at the Nook Whiskey Bar, which is our favourite spot to visit at 7pm to listen to the talented young Canadian guitarist Danny Shamess – and to sip on one of Moses’s great cocktails.
Moses has been with Princess Cruises for 8 years, and his favourite port of call is …
“All ports of call – I love them all!” he said.
His favourite cocktail is a Beverly Hills, and his tip for making cocktails at home is to, “Make sure you shake the cocktail very well!”
Victor hails from Manila and we met him when he was serving at Crooners Bar. He was photobombed on this occasion while telling us about the cocktail of the day.
I asked him to tell us a little bit about his life on board.
“Working on a cruise ship gives you the chance to travel and meet lots of different people from different cultures,” Victor said. “I’ve been working for Princess Cruises for 8 years. I generally work for 8 – 10 months and then have 2 – 3 months at home to catch up with family and friends.”
Hipolito or Lito comes from Goa in India and has been with Princess Cruises for 15 years. His favourite cruise destination is Florida and his favourite cocktail is a 24k Margarita. Below he’s holding an Illusion.
“My tip for making a cocktail at home is to choose the base ingredient you enjoy most and make the cocktail of your choice around that – do you prefer rum or vodka maybe – and do you like a cocktail to be sweet rather than sour?”
Our 5 Fave Cocktails on Sea Princess
The Illusion
Skyy Vodka, Contreau, melon liqueur, sweet and sour, pineapple, garnish
Mojito
Bacardi, fresh mint, sugar syrup, fresh lime, soda
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila, orange juice, grenadine.
Captain’s Bounty
Bacardi Limon, Bacardi Oakheart, Cruzan Dark, pineapple juice, citrus mix
Dirty Banana
Cruzan dark, Kailua, Tia Maria, heavy cream, chocolate syrup.
Cheers Y’All!
When did cocktails first hit the scene?
According to Wikipedia, ”The first publication of a bartender’s which included cocktail recipes was in 1862 — How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant’s Companion, by “Professor” Jerry Thomas. In addition to recipes for punches, sours, slings, cobblers, shrubs, toddies, flips, and a variety of other mixed drinks were 10 recipes for “cocktails”. A key ingredient differentiating cocktails from other drinks in this compendium was the use of bitters.
Mixed drinks popular today that conform to this original meaning of “cocktail” include the old fashioned Whiskey cocktail, the Sazerac cocktail, and the Manhattan cocktail.
The first “cocktail party” ever thrown was allegedly by Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St Louis, Missouri in May 1917. Mrs. Walsh invited 50 guests to her home at noon on a Sunday. The party lasted an hour, until lunch was served at 1 pm.”
I’m a guest of Princess Cruises but all opinions are my own.
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I must confess that I didn’t like the cocktails on our cruise that much – they were sickly sweet. I normally enjoy a margarita or a mojita. Cheers! 🙂
Love Mojito’s too Kathy!